Halladay also received the Outstanding Athlete of the Year award at Monday’s event. And although he was very appreciative of the rewards, Halladay is using last year’s NLCS loss to the Giants as motivation for the upcoming season.

“To have it end the way it did was pretty abrupt for a lot of us,” Halladay said at his press conference prior to the dinner.

“No one anticipated going out the way we did. I really believe every one of us felt it should have continued.”

The 2009-2010 Flyers received the Team of the Year Award as Ian Laperriere accepted the award on his team’s behalf. Sixer Elton Brand was the recipient of the “Good Guy” Award, and former Eagles middle linebacker Bill Bergey received the Living Legend Award.

Oddly enough, no members of the current Philadelphia Eagles regime represented themselves at the event.

New Temple football coach Steve Addazio was introduced, and his fiery intensity during his speech inspired Charlie Manuel as well as comedian Joe Conklin, whose impersonations of Manuel and Cole Hamels had Victorino (and even Manuel himself) practically falling out of their chairs.

On a night where most of the high-profile athletes receive most of the spotlight, the stories of Rowan University defensive end Matt Hoffman, and Mark Herzlich were clearly the two most inspiring athletes of the evening.

Herzlich, a Pennsylvania native, was named 2011’s Most Courageous Athlete by the association. Herzlich is a linebacker from Boston College who suffered from Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that was discovered in his left leg. Overcoming tremendous odds, Herzlich endured months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, a titanium rod was inserted into his leg, he returned to Boston College to play football full-time, and is now training in Bradenton, Fla, preparing for the NFL combine.

Despite some very dark days, Herzlich always believed he would play football again.

“Once my doctor told me that the surgery went well when they put the (titanium) rod in, and I could start running and lifting again, I could work my way on the football field. That confidence that he showed gave me a lot more confidence,” said a humble Herzlich at his press conference before the event.

“At the time (I was sick) I set two goals. The first was to be cancer free, my next goal was to get back on the football field. It’s a miracle I can play again, and I’m very proud to be back on the field.”

You couldn’t have ended this great event with a more heartwarming story than that.